Hello fellow travelers.  Over the past several months I’ve talked to you about access to various types of transportation.  We’ve looked at planes, buses, and cruise ships.  Now, let us explore train travel.

Several years ago I began experiencing severe headaches.  Often the pain was so great that driving became dangerous, especially on long trips.  For these longer journeys, at least, traveling by train became my only option.  However, I quickly learned that the laws regarding accessible train travel were murky and their goals sometimes unachievable.

The Americans with Disabilities Act public requires that wherever public transportation is provided it has to be made accessible to people with disabilities.  Rail carriers, for example, have to provide one common wheelchair space and one common wheelchair storage space per car.  Section 37.3 of the Department of Transportation regulations defines a ‘common’ wheelchair as a three or four-wheeled device that does not exceed 30 inches in width and 48 inches in length and does not weigh more than 600 pounds when occupied.  Furthermore, rail stations must make accommodations to patrons with physical disabilities and include such features as ramps/elevators, large-print and tactile-Braille signs, audio-visual information systems, platform-edge warning strips, platform gap modifications or bridge plates, accessible telephones with volume control, and text telephones (TTYs), and, accessible restrooms at commuter rail stations with restrooms.  Rail carriers are mandated to be totally compliant in their architecture, products, and signs by 2010.  Several states, most notably New York, Michigan, Illinois and Vermont, have been trying to find ways to rebuild their fleets and railway stations but those efforts have been thwarted by uncertainty over applicable regulations.  Surprisingly, the Department of Transportation itself is responsible for at least some of the problem.

For example, Department of Transportation regulations require stations to have a level platform running the full length of the passenger boarding area.  This platform is supposed to have a horizontal gap of no more than three inches and a vertical gap of no more than 5/8 inches.  The problem is that even DOT officials are not convinced that these requirements can be met.  They recognize that many stations are constructed in such a way that they can not accommodate full-length, level boarding platforms.  Furthermore, passenger cars from different eras and different manufacturers are not standard in their dimensions.  The ADA does allow for a work-around to the gap-span problem however.  Gap-cover ramps are installed on an as-needed basis by individual train conductors.  The trouble with this solution is two-fold.  First, according to a conductor in Philadelphia I recently spoke with, many stations do not have enough of these ramps to adequately meet their passenger needs.  Second, the need to have a train official place the ramps interferes with the independence of passengers with disabilities.  I've almost missed a train because I couldn't readily find a conductor to place the needed ramp in order for me to board.

Potential riders must take some responsibility as well.  My local commuter station has two platforms, with elevators on both sides.  Several times I have been able to take the train to my destination only to later find out that the elevator on the return platform is out of order.  I’ve learned that it is important to call ahead to the individual stations in order to find out about current status of elevators on both arrival and departure tracks.  Also, riders need to know about the availability of accessible local transportation (taxicabs, transferring to other subways, etc.) once reaching their destination station.

One final thought : I remember when people could tour the inside of a plane before it took off.  That was a long time ago and, because of heightened security measures, you can’t do it now.  But, on a most trains you still can.  For the “fun” of it, when planning a train trip, it might be helpful to make a dry run.  Go to a local train station.  See if it’s accessibility features are up to code and, more importantly, meet your needs.  Then check out one of the trains, not necessarily to take an impromptu ride but to see how easily you can get onboard and into a seat.  If you don’t want that impromptu ride just make sure you have enough time to get off the train.